Prince Tribute at Carnegie Hall

One concert could hardly contain the multiplicity of Prince’s enormous songwriting catalog over the 35 years since he released his debut album, “For You,” in 1978.

 “The Music of Prince,” a tribute concert on Thursday night (March 7, 2013) at Carnegie Hall, tried hard. The program strove to capture a broad swath of Prince’s work, through funk and rock and pop, from lust to spirituality to apocalypse to partying.

With the Roots as a house band, the lineup included singers clearly influenced by Prince — D’Angelo, Bilal — and diverse admirers, among them Elvis Costello and Bettye LaVette. MORE HERE  & HERE

City Winery in Manhattan served as the Roots' rehearsal space Wednesday night (March 6, 2013) as the band prepared for the tribute show.

Although the gig was billed as a tune-up, the all-star show went off with barely a hitch, with Elvis Costello (above w/Maya Rudolph), Booker T. Jones, the Waterboys, the Blind Boys of Alabama and other guests all taking the stage to jam on Prince's extensive catalog. MORE HERE